Woman Accused Of Stealing Mail From Neighbors In Long Grove: Police

LONG GROVE, IL — Following reports of a woman lingering around several mailboxes in the area of Schaeffer Road and Manassas Lane Wednesday afternoon, police have made an arrest. Gabriella Pollari, 44, of the 1300 block of Bridgewater Lane, Long Grove, is accused of felony identity theft (class 3), unlawful possession of a controlled substance (class 4 felony — cocaine), unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor), and was arrested following a traffic stop conducted by the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Police said additional charges are possible. Pollari remains held in the Lake County Jail, with an initial court hearing scheduled for Thursday morning.

At around 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, the LCSO received a call regarding a suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood. The caller said the person in the vehicle was lingering around several mailboxes, but when police responded to the area, the vehicle was gone.

Later in the day at around 4:15 p.m., police received another call about the suspicious vehicle and person returning to the area, once again lingering around the mailboxes. The caller told police they were concerned as they were aware of prior mail thefts in the area.

According to police, the second caller obtained a license plate of the vehicle. A sheriff’s deputy assigned to Long Grove responded and located the vehicle in the area of Bridgewater Lane and Gettysburg Road. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and spoke to the driver, identified as Pollari. While speaking to her, police observed drug paraphernalia and drugs in the vehicle.

After placing Pollari under arrest, police searched her vehicle and located mail and packages in belonging to numerous victims living in the area. Police said the mail contained "very sensitive information," including social security numbers, tax documents, checks and more.

Police from the United States Postal Service have been contacted regarding the incident. Residents in this area missing mail should contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 847-377-4000.

"The community plays a significant role in reporting crimes and suspicious activity," Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a news release. "Thanks to this alert member of the community calling us to report what they saw, and our deputies working hard to locate the vehicle, we were able to arrest this person stealing other people’s mail. Great job to everyone involved."